Tennessee accepted 2,051 refugees in the last fiscal year - nearly a 30 percent increase from the number of refugees who came to Tennessee in the prior year - but the future of the state, and the nation's refugee program following the election of Donald Trump, remains uncertain.

Even before Trump was elected president, Tennessee Republican lawmakers began pursuing a lawsuit against the federal government over refugee resettlement in Tennessee, arguing that the federal government failed to consult with the state before settling refugees and left the state to pick up some of the costs associated with them.

Sen. Mark Norris, R-Collierville, said he is committed to following that lawsuit through, even with Trump's pledge to shut the doors to refugees.

Refugee advocates say they are equally committed to ensuring the nation's refugee program remains open.

"In the weeks following the election, we have been overwhelmed by an unprecedented outpouring of support for immigrant and refugee communities," said Stephanie Teatro, co-executive director of the Tennessee Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.

"Tennesseans want to ensure that their values of welcome and compassion are reflected in public policy," she said. "We will continue to expose and challenge elected officials who undermine the refugee resettlement program for political gain. We cannot let politicians exploit the fears and uncertainty Tennesseans face at the expense of our values. We deserve better and must demand greater leadership."

Tennessee has operated a refugee resettlement program that has made Nashville home to one of the largest Kurdish populations outside of Iraq as well as sizable Somali and Iraqi communities.

In the past year, the largest numbers of refugees arrived from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Syria and Somalia. More than half of the refugees were settled in Nashville with the remainder settling in Tennessee's other main urban centers: Knoxville, Memphis and Chattanooga.